A Light at The End of The Tunnel
by Xx-BananaBookworm-xX
Summary: Post DH. Harry explains his year to Ginny after the final battle. Continues from Deathly Hallows page 600 UK Edition . DH spoilers obviously. HP/GW. ONESHOT . I know it's a bad summary but it's my first FanFiction so give me a break. Please R & R.


**Disclaimer; I do not, will not or have not ever owned any of J.K. Rowling's fabulous characters, plot or basically anything. Unfortunately. **

**Thanks to my FABULOUS Beta, Annie68 and to XAPY-TZINY-IIOZEINTON-NOAT who has pointed out a few faults and helped me improve my story! **

**So, not to keep you waiting for any longer, here's my improved story!**

'That wand's more trouble than it's worth,' said Harry. 'And quite honestly,' he turned away from the painted portraits, thinking now only of the four-poster bed lying waiting for him in Gryffindor tower, and wondering whether Kreacher might bring him a sandwich there, ' I've had enough trouble for a lifetime.' (pg 600, Deathly Hallows)  
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'Wake up!'

With a groan, Harry rolled over onto his side in his temptingly warm, soft and comfy bed. Ever since  
the final battle, all Harry had craved was rest, and maybe perhaps a few dozen hot meals. It was the least he could expect after nearly a year on the run.

However, after the general celebrations and partying far the defeat of the Dark Lord/ You-Know-Who/ He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named/ Tom Riddle/ Lord Voldemort or Mouldy Warts (courtesy of Peeves), there seemed to be an endless number of jobs to do and this left Harry's beauty sleep at the bottom of the list.

So far, the funeral had been arranged (it had been hard to watch George and Mrs Weasley break down like that. What had shocked everyone was that it had been Percy's idea to set off fireworks while the grim crowds watched their loved ones lowered into the ground surrounding Dumbledore's grave), a memorial had been erected ( the lists of names did not improve Harry's guilty conscience), and a speech had been given by the new Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt (voted as permanent Minister for Magic because of his increasing popularity) and himself, Harry Potter, to assure the victims of the Second War that everything that could be done was being done.

It seemed that the last task left was one that could be done only by him. He needed to make up with Ginny.

Endless plans formed in Harry's head. They all seemed to involve Harry grovelling on his knees. Harry quickly brushed those thoughts away. Ginny wasn't like that.

'Wake up!'

The voice of Harry's best friend, Ron Weasley, pushed the meandering thoughts from Harry's mind.

'I'm up, I'm up!' grunted an exhausted Harry. He dragged some clothes on and wrestled with the knotted laces of his trainers before staggering to the Gryffindor Common Room behind Ron.

As Harry descended down the steps, the not unusual whispers started to follow him. Well, it could only be expected couldn't it? The Boy-Who-Lived or the Man-Who-Defeated as he was now called was probably one of the top three most famous wizards _ever_. These three included himself, Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort.

'How are you feeling today?'

This brisk and unnaturally cheerful voice made Harry jump.

'Sorry,' Hermione, Harry's other best friend said quickly. 'Well?' she added impatiently.

'As good as I'll ever feel with four hours of sleep,' was Harry's slow reply. Hermione nodded her head sympathetically before patting on a space next to herself and Ron in one of the Common Room's many sofas.

As Harry sat down, he realised that Ginny has sitting silently, almost as if sulking, on an armchair.

'Well, what are we going to do now?' Harry could hear Ron asking Hermione next to him.

'I'm thinking about joining the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures in the Ministry.'

'Oh no, not SPEW again!'

Harry drew his knees up to his chest and drifted out of their good-natured bickering. Occasionally, he heard his own name used in the conversation but dismissed it quickly.

The time soon flew past with Harry's daydreaming and before he knew it, it was lunchtime. It was only then that Harry realised that he hadn't had breakfast. He could see Hermione and Ron getting up to make their way to the Great Hall for lunchtime. When Hermione asked if he was coming, Harry shook his head. Ginny had not moved from her seat either.

The remaining students in the Common Room gradually filtered away and it was soon just Harry and Ginny left sitting facing each other, with some last minute stragglers lolling about. The pair shared a few awkward glances each time their eyes met before quickly looking away. It seemed that she knew that he wanted to talk.

When the last student had grudgingly left (it was clear that they either wanted to speak to the now even more famous Harry Potter or wanted some ex-couple drama), Harry and Ginny both stood facing each-other.

Ginny, being the bravest, took a step forward and Harry, gathering his courage, did the same.

'Ginny, I-'

He was cut off with a ringing slap across his face. Harry was wise enough not to try to stop a red-head's rant.

'Do you_realise_how upset I was?' She hissed at him, 'I thought you were _dead_!'

'Ginny, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have cut you off my life like that, but don't you see? I had to pretend I was dead,' he began, 'Look, I'll tell you from the beginning. When Dumbledore was interviewing Trelawney for her job, she made an accidental prophecy.

'_**The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...'**_

'This prophecy has led to Voldemort trying to kill me since I was a one year old. This is the reason that only I could defeat Voldemort. There were two possible candidates for this boy. They were me and Neville Longbottom.'

'No,' she gasped.

'Yes,' Harry stated firmly, 'For some reason, just because we were similar - both half-blood - Voldemort chose me. Voldemort created his own enemy. If he hadn't cursed me, I would never have had the ability to speak parseltongue or to see into his mind. However, I had a special power -the power of love, something Riddle will never know.

'Dumbledore left us with a mission.' Ginny was mumbling atrocities incoherently behind his words, 'Voldemort,' Ginny flinched slightly 'created horcruxes.' Harry continued, 'A horcrux is an object that you conceal part of your soul in. They are created when you murder and feel no remorse. They rip your soul apart literally. Ginny gasped and Harry was about to lay a hand comfortingly on her shoulder when he drew it back, remembering what they were talking about.

'Anyway, Voldemort created seven horcruxes. One of them was accidental but we'll get to that later. You can only destroy a horcrux with something virtually indestructible. We used basilisk venom, the Sword of Gryffindor and fiendfyre. The Diary was one of them, a horcrux. You were writing to a part of Voldemort's soul...' Harry's voice faded away at the sight of Ginny's chalk white face but her fierce chocolate-brown eyes urged him on. 'The other horcruxes were Slytherin's locket - you know, the one we found at Grimauld Place that no one could open; Hufflepuff's cup; Marvolo Gaunt's ring; Ravenclaw's Diadem- that's what I was looking for and Nagini- the pet snake of Voldemort that Neville killed. The last horcrux was me. '

'No...' Ginny's horrified whisper trailed away.

'It was created accidentally; Voldemort's soul was so unstable when he went to kill my parents that a part broke off and latched itself to me. '

'In order for Voldemort to be actually _killed_, the last horcrux had to be destroyed. I had to give myself up. I only found out after seeing Snape's memories - long story, not for now. I couldn't try to defend myself.'

'Have you heard of the Tales of the Three Brothers?' Ginny nodded. 'They're true. Those three objects the brothers were given, they are known as the Deathly Hallows. You know the sign that you saw Xenophilus Lovegood wearing on Bill and Fleur's Wedding Day? That's the sign of the Hallows...' Harry paused and looked at Ginny to see whether she was keeping up with him. Ginny gave a little nod of recognition. 'All those objects - the Elder Wand, The Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak - they all exist. I have something to tell you, Gin,' Harry said looking Ginny in the eye, 'I am a descendant of Ignotus Perverell – the Third Brother. The last hallow - the invisibility cloak - is my invisibility cloak.' Ginny made an incoherent sound as she tried to absorb all this new information. 'The Resurrection Stone was the stone inside Marvolo Gaunt's ring and the Elder wand - well, the Elder Wand went through many different owners throughout history. It eventually ended up in the ownership of the wandmaker, Gregorovitch, who was trying to duplicate its powers. It was stolen from him by Grindelwald, when he was only a young man. As you know, the Elder Wand's ownership is passed on through the defeat of the previous owner. When Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald, he became the new master of the Elder Wand.

'Later, on that night Dumbledore was killed, Malfoy disarmed Dumbledore and became the new Master of the Elder Wand.'

'But, didn't Snape kill Dumbledore?' Ginny interrupted tentatively.

'That death had been agreed on by Snape and Dumbledore beforehand so it didn't count. The ownership of the Elder Wand didn't pass over to Snape. Instead, Malfoy became the Master of the Elder Wand when he unknowingly disarmed Dumbledore. At the Malfoy Manor, I disarmed Malfoy too. It was then when I became the Master of the Elder Wand.'

'You what?' screeched an angry Ginny. The shocked faces of the first students back from lunch turned to gaze intently at the source of the noise.

'You see,' Harry hurriedly carried on, 'Voldemort thought Snape was the master of the Elder Wand. This led to him ordering Nagini to kill Snape so that the ownership would pass over to him. Of course, Voldemort didn't know that I was the Master so the wand still didn't work for him.

'When Snape was killed, me, Hermione and Ron were there with me. While he lay there dying, he told me to take his memories. I did so and I saw some memories of his childhood, life at Hogwarts, his conversations with Dumbledore and when he visited the Black House. It was then that I realised what I had to do.

'I gave myself up to the Death Eaters. I used the Resurrection Stone then. It was hidden inside the snitch- you know, the one Dumbledore left me in his will. I worked out how to open it – just before I died. When I got to the clearing, Hagrid was there too. Voldemort killed me soon enough and I thought I was dead.

'I woke up in some sort of limbo. To me, it was Kings Cross Station. Dumbledore was there; as well as the horcrux that had been attached to me. Dumbledore explained everything to me there, and I understood: being a parseltongue and all those other abilities such as the qualities of Slytherin were passed over to me that night my parent were killed, along with the horcrux.' Harry broke off, for the first time realizing that a tear was running down Ginny's cheek.

'...Stupid...Noble...Prat...'

'Hey, I'm still alive aren't I?' Harry said weakly, wiping it off.

'I'm okay, carry on with the rest of the story.'

And Harry did so: 'I woke up on the floor of the Forbidden Forest and pretended to be still dead. The horcrux had been removed. Voldemort had fallen too. He soon recovered though, and he tortured me - Crucio. But the wand wouldn't betray his master and I didn't feel anything. Then Hagrid was forced to carry me back to the Castle and... and you know the rest'

Ginny stared at Harry in shock. 'You did all that?'

'Apparently,' said Harry, with a smirk.

'This doesn't change anything, you know.' Ginny retorted; childishly folding her arms and turning away from him.

Harry reached out his hand and turned her face towards his. 'Do you know the last thing I was thinking of before Voldemort use the Avada Kedavra curse on me in the forest? It was that kiss...on my birthday.' Ginny brought her eyes up to stare into his. 'I still care about you Ginny, I really do.'

'I know you do.'

And with that, they both leaned in until their lips were pressing together. Somewhere, in the distance, Ron's voice called out, 'Oi, I told you not to do that anymore!' and somewhere insignificant, people turned in to see the Man-Who-Defeated kissing his on-off girlfriend. But none of that mattered to Harry and Ginny, because there was always a light at the end of the tunnel.

* * *

**What did you think of that for a first fic? I'm sorry; I just HAD to fit in that last little line in somewhere. **

**Like it? – Review, Hate it? – Review. This is my first story and I really want to know how to improve my writing skills so Constructive Criticism is greatly appreciated. No extreme Flames please.**

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